


A Huddled Excursion

by ThatDamnKennedyKid



Series: Two Jedi Walk Into A Mandalorian [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Female Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mandalorian Culture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-05
Updated: 2019-12-05
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:01:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21667096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatDamnKennedyKid/pseuds/ThatDamnKennedyKid
Summary: Ones that keep your secrets love you the most, or so Obi-Wan learned. Especially since she kept her Force-sensitive nature to herself.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & CT-7567 | Rex
Series: Two Jedi Walk Into A Mandalorian [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1553227
Comments: 17
Kudos: 423





	A Huddled Excursion

"You're right-handed and not ambidextrous." She dropped behind the trench line, smacking Fives hard on the helmet. "Watch your left side!"

"Kriff, woman, stop that!" Fives ducked to cradle his head, having already been hit by more than a couple rocks in this canyon. "I'm probably already concussed, you don't have to make sure!"

"Apparently I do, because I'm rather concuss you than drag off your corpse!" She hit him again, this time in the shoulder. "Eyes up and shoulders in, or did those Kaminoans not teach you how to fight?"

He wanted to argue, but he tensed and did as she said, and his shots firmed up, more centred and not clearly favouring one side or the other. She scanned down the line, looking for other troopers to bail out. Finding none, she scurried down the line to less intense fire. She had no mid-range weapon like their rifles, and she wasn't interested in using her pistol at so far a distance. At the far end, with Jesse and Kix, she laid down with her sniper rifle. 

"What's with the four prongs?" Kano, commanding this end of the line, asked. 

"Ever heard of the theory of atomic redistribution?"

He cocked his head. "I feel like I don't know enough about it to get to your point before you can demonstrate."

There was a grin in her voice. "Too right. Do pay attention. This never gets less spectacular."

She tucked the butt against her shoulder, taking aim at a Rollie messing up the far end of the line. She was on one knee, the other leg braced hard behind her. She fired it with a small ripple of static along the metal prongs - beskar, he would later be informed - and an almost imperceptible beam flashed across the battlefield. It had just vanished from Kano's view when the Rollie's shield broke and the droid spasmed as it was disintegrated. 

"Atomic redistribution." She chuckled. "What a marvellous theory. There's something spectacular about seeing the universe in motion."

 _"What the hell was that?"_ Rex came over the comm. _"If that was you, Kano, or Obi, do it again."_

"Much obliged, Cap'n." She replied, taking aim at the other Rollies and super battle droids scuttling across the field. One by one, as she aimed, they vanished in a hail of blistering sparks, not even ashes left behind. 

"Well, damn." Fenrir muttered. "And we got the light guns."

She stopped, popped out a smoking cartridge, and replaced it. The gun locked back in with a final snap. "My dear, this gun is far from cheap, to make and to use. Also, the nine-shot cartridge is a significant limitation. To a soldier, anyway."

"Where's it from?"

"Mandalore." She took aim again. "Most of the best guns on the market are warrior's weapons. Or knockoffs of them. This one in particular belonged to my mother."

"There are female warriors too?" Fenrir perked up, then seemed to realize his misstep. "I've just never seen them, I mean."

She just laughed, cracking off another shot. "Yes, there are. The Mando warrior society in general is unisex. Women do tend to retire to attend to children, but it's not necessarily expected either. More commonly, the parents trade off. Different reputations garner different bounties, after all. If there is a parent who chooses to retire, they become the primary trainer for the children, so it never really does stop."

"What about you?"

"My mother chose retirement." She fired again. 

"Is she still on Mandalore?"

"Somewhere, yes."

"I'm surprised you don't go see her more often. You've been with us at least eight months now."

Her grip tightened in such a fashion only a soldier would notice. "I'm not welcome on Mandalore."

"Right." Fenrir dropped the subject. 

"You should take up aim closer to the tanks. I think one of them houses the commander." She checked her ammo belt. "I'm going to have to move back soon. I want to preserve a few shots and I don't have another cartridge."

"We'll keep the tanks busy." Kano promised. "Did Jinn get you that vodka?"

"He did. We'll do shots after the battle."

"Yessir." He tilted his head to her. "Take off when you're ready, but call the swap to Rex."

"It's looking like he needs me anyway." She shouldered the rifle. "Adios, boys."

When she disappeared around the corner, Kano clipped Fenrir's helmet. "Now why would you go and ask questions like that?"

"Isn't that normal?" Fenrir griped. "She's a natural-born, right? She's got one of them family things?"

"Maybe she did, maybe she doesn't, but use your head for a damn minute and think about why a Mandalorian was all the way out on Tattooine!" Kano snapped. 

_"Your comms are on."_ Dazzler, their artillery gunner, helpfully informed them. 

Kano hit Fenrir's arm, where the comm link was, with an angry hiss. 

_"No need to dance around me, gentlemen."_ Obi-Wan informed them. _"I can definitely choose when not to answer. Don't worry about my feelings."_

"Idiot." Kano hissed one more time before turning back to his own long rifle. Fenrir shook his head and took up position again as well.

* * *

The battle finished relatively well, considering how badly they'd been pinned down. 

"Commander Tano's reporting that they're still engaged in space." Rex relayed. "Looks like we'll be down here for the night, boys."

"Down here? As in, camped?"

"Yessir." Rex replied. 

"Don't the dropships only carry company-set tents?"

"Yes?" He cocked his head. "Is there a problem? You've camped with us before."

"On invasions." She muttered, looking to the side, then strengthened her voice. "Don't worry about it."

"Obi-"

"Should I expect to bunk with Torrent Company or Kano's Cascade Squadron?"

"You'll be with Torrent." Rex said, still looking at her funny. "If that's not too much trouble."

"It's no trouble. Forget I mentioned anything." She turned away. "I'm going to help Eros and Dallas scout the surrounds."

Echo nudged him with an arm, a concerned frown on his lips. "What was that about? She's not usually so skittish."

"Maybe she's uncomfortable sleeping next to so many men, unseparated?"

Boomer recoiled. "We wouldn't do anything!"

"Experience in the world outside this army is just something we don't have." He shrugged. "It may just be instinctual. Whatever her issue is, we'll do our best to accommodate her."

"How?"

"She's very close with you, me, Fives, Echo, Jesse and Kix. We'll sleep closest and try to allot her some extra space. Who knows how long we'll be down here."

"Yessir." Boomer nodded. "I'll inform the men."

| | | 

Their gender had nothing to do with her hesitation to sleep camped commonly amongst the soldiers. 

They'd been asleep for an hour and a half when Darling, on watch, woke Rex. 

"Are we under attack?" Was the first thing out of his mouth, but Darling signalled him to keep quiet and pointed over to Obi-Wan. 

"She's not right." Darling stood, backing off and returning to his rotation. He shook himself more awake, adrenaline fading, and sat up. 

Obi-Wan had stripped off her plating, outer jacket and boots and was in a sleeping bag all her own off to the side of the tent. She was partially unzipped to accommodate the heat of the evening, one arm flung out onto the dirt. Her hair was in a messy braid, pulled over one shoulder, and curling at the edges with dried sweat. All of that, he expected, perhaps even anticipated. 

The way she was grimace marring her freckled face and the way her fingers dug painfully into the dirt set off his alarm bells. Some of the brothers had night terrors and woke up drenched in sweat and tears - nothing to be ashamed of amongst their own - but it sunk in that perhaps, being from a warrior race, she might take this as a sign of weakness not to be shared or discussed. Who's to say what the Mandos considered weakness-

The poles of the tent shook when she twisted sharply in her sleep, a faint groan of pain making it passed her clenched teeth. The ammo crates moaned in protest, the fabricated wood fracturing and splintering under some unseen force. She flinched sharply, her face pinching tightly in agony, and the violent rustling of the tent's fabric woke up the other brothers. 

Echo and Fives, awoken by Rex's own movements, quickly gestured them to stand down and stay quiet. They all looked around themselves like they expected a tornado to rip the tents from their post holes and carry them off into the atmosphere. 

"It's Obi." Fives whispered, and the brothers passed it amongst each other, concern twisting away from themselves to her and the thrashing in her own sheets. 

"Is she alright?" Brea asked, inching forward.

"Let the Captain handle her." Fives shook his head. "She's not right."

"Is she what's doing this?" Emerald muttered, still looking up nervously at the tent ceiling. 

"Yeah."

Rex inched closer on his knees, hesitant to reach out and wake her. At once, a viroblade tore through the sleeping bag, the pistol that had been in its holster atop her gear flew to her dirt-covered hand and she sat up, armed and reaching for someone that wasn't there. 

" _Satine!_ " 

All the vode froze, unsure, and all the fabric abruptly settled. The crates quit their moans of strain and the poles dropped back into place with a _clang_. She sat there for several fevered heartbeats, poised to kill the next person who moved, before she blinked rapidly a few times and slumped in on herself, the pistol going lax in her grip and the viroblade clicked off. She let out a shaky sigh and dropped both weapons, bringing up her knees and hiding her face in her hands. 

Barely daring to breathe, Rex let his fingertips skim along her shoulder. She jumped, snapping her gaze up to him and assessing his threat-level with wide green-blue eyes. It took her a moment, but she recognized him and sheepishly looked back down at her knees, scrubbing her hands over her face. 

" _Ni ceta_." Her breath was shaky, even if her hands were steady, and she couldn't muster up the strength to look at him again. " _Ni ceta. Ni shu'shuk_ , Rex'ika."

Whether she had the intention to teach them Mando'a or not, Rex had no idea, but what she said didn't matter. She was conscious of her surroundings again, which was always the first, hardest step. He inched closer, pulling her into a slow hug she could remove herself from at any time. Affection was not uncommon in the brothers, and they took care of their own. Obi-Wan had been trying to take them under her wing, to help them all she could. It was only right that if she wanted them to be part of her family, she would be part of theirs. 

"It's alright now. It's over." He pulled her in close when she didn't resist, tucking her head under his chin. 

She sighed and pressed close, letting all the heavy tension drain out of her. Kix dropped down into her sightline. "Do you want some privacy here or can the brothers cycle around?"

She cleared her throat. "I didn't even think about them. Yeah, come on over."

The mass of brothers approached timidly, all huddling around her as best they could, some of the younger ones sneaking in a hug of their own, which brought a smile to her lips. She patted what of them she could reach to let them know she appreciated it. 

"Do you want to tell us about your dream?" Rex asked, gently petting her unruly hair. "About Satine?"

She swallowed thickly. "She was my lover before I left Mandalore. Her . . . decision to end our dalliance was part of the reason I left. I had a dream that people were plotting to kill her."

A murmur went up among the brothers, who nodded sympathetically. 

"Makes sense." Jesse said, kneeling in front of her with Kix. 

"Do you still love her?" Lance asked. 

"I don't think I'll ever stop loving her, but I'm not in love with her anymore." Old bitterness flashed across her face. "Not ever again."

Jesse and several of the veterans nodded knowingly. Many of them had lost the best loved ones they had, but moved on to have close family again. It wasn't a perfect analogy, but it was the closest they had. 

"You still want to protect her."

"I do." At least she didn't sound ashamed of that. She looked up at them, scanning their faces. "Is that all you're going to comment on?"

"What else would we ask about?" Brea cocked his head. 

She frowned, dubious. "No need to pretend. I've got the Force."

"You already showed me that." Rex commented, sitting back enough to look at her. "You pushed Grievous with it."

Her frown melted away into awe. "And you kept it quiet."

It was his turn to frown. "You asked me to?"

She huffed a laugh. "I didn't actually _expect_ you to. I suppose I should have."

"Yes, you should have." He leaned down and bumped his forehead with hers. "We're together in this, you know."

She leaned into it, her eyes dropping shut with a sigh. "Thank you."

"If I may," Jesse interjected, "can I ask why you want it kept hushed? Not that I won't, I'm just curious."

She adjusted, her back pressed more fully to Rex's chest and looking at the men gathered around her. "For one, it's a good ace to have up my sleeve. No one expects a weapon they can't see. Second, I'm not entirely sure what the Republic would do to me if they found out."

"So Skywalker and Jinn don't know?"

"No, they don't. I never quite trusted them enough to tell them." She pursed her lips. "I didn't work much in the Republic, mostly on Mandalore and in the Outer Rim, where it didn't matter much beyond my survival. I don't generally use it consciously, but when I have dreams or visions, well." She gestured to a crate, fractured and unstable. 

"That's okay." Darling smiled. "We all have our secrets that we keep from the Jedi."

"Like the fact we know about Skywalker's marriage to Senator Amidala." Spade snorted. 

She blinked. "Wait, there are people who don't know about that?"

"Skywalker thinks everyone doesn't know." Rex murmured. 

Her face screwed up in hilarious confusion and the brothers broke out into laughter. 

"Yeah, that's what we think too." He chuckled. The rumble felt nice against her back. 

She shook her head. "Jedi are so stupid. I'll never get it."

"Us neither." Darling laughed. 

She checked the time of her communicator. " _Ka'ra_ , it's barely been two hours! Back to bed, all of you."

Jesse stood with a smirk, ruffling her hair. "It was for a good cause, Obi."

She sunk further into Rex's arms with a childish pout. " _Kaysh mirsh solus._ " 

The brothers all wandered back off to their sleeping bags, but Rex just kept her close, surprised to find he enjoyed the way it felt to have her tucked against him like this. "Did you want to go back to your bag or share mine?"

"Why?" She looked down at it. "Oh."

"Yeah. Viroblades tend to do that." He loosened his hold, gratified in some deep part of him that she didn't immediately move away. 

"Yes, I suppose so." She turned around to face him. "I don't mind sharing if you don't."

"By all means." He moved back, letting her crawl into it first. As a captain, his was large enough to accommodate him and his immediate superior or most important underling. "I don't think bringing the viroblade is a good idea, though. You have more than a bag to rip up in this one."

She unhooked her whole small munitions belt and tossed it over to her pile of gear. "Let's just do away with the whole thing, then, shall we?"

She slipped under the covers, holding it open for him. 

She remained on her side, but he slept on his back. 

Darling, still on patrol, dimmed the lights down again and the company fell back asleep quickly. 

| | |

Rex awoke to find Skywalker and Tano standing over him with dual smirks. It still wasn't light yet, so they must have finished the space battle before the planetary cycle was through. His whole left side was warm and soft, something slightly ticklish against his jaw and cheek. 

"Have a good nap?" Tano asked sweetly. 

"General? Commander?" He blinked more awake. "I take it you were successful?"

"We were." Skywalker's arms were crossed and he had on his most smug expression. "Though I've gotta say, I never took you for a bodice ripper, Captain."

"Sir?"

Tano's eyes flickered to just below his sightline and her grin widened. Shifting enough to look down, he managed to see the copper top of Obi-Wan's head resting on his shoulder, her fist curled up cutely on the centre of his chest and the shoulder of her sleeping shirt slipping down her arm. It was also obvious to him that the rest of her was cuddled close, as it would be to the two Jedi above him from their outline in the sleeping bag leaving no illusions. 

Rex felt her leg shift and aggressive kick Skywalker in the ankle. "You drool when you sleep, Ani. Get away from me."

Skywalker snorted unattractively and walked off, Tano following with a snicker. "Fine, then. But I do need you up in a couple of hours to get up to the ship. We've retaken the planet, so redeployment will be soon."

"Piss off, Jedi."

Skywalker blew a kiss and vanished out of the tent. 

She resettled against him. "Ignore them and go back to sleep. We have a few hours still."

He rested his cheek back on the crown of her head. "Whatever you say, Ob'ika."

He felt her smile against his collarbone.

* * *

* * *

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Ni ceta - "Sorry" | literally "I kneel", a rare grovelling apology  
> Ni shu'shuk - "I'm a disaster"  
> Ka'ra - "Stars" | mythic ruling council of fallen kings  
> Kaysh mirsh solus - "He's an idiot" | literally "His brain cell is lonely"


End file.
